No bake granola bars

No bake granola bars are packed with natural ingredients, do not contain refined sugar and can be prepared in minutes.

Similar to banana flapjacks, these chewy oat bars contain natural sweeteners in the form of dried fruits and honey.

They are perfect for a healthy snack, kids' lunchboxes or picnics. They also make a tasty breakfast bar or energy snack. For other portable snack ideas you may also like to try honey flapjacks or date and oat slices.

This granola bar recipe is flexible. You can easily swap or add ingredients. Use whatever nuts, seeds and dried fruits you like and bind together with a mixture of equal amounts of peanut butter and honey.

The quantities in this granola bar recipe are sufficient for a 28 cm by 18 cm (11" by 7") tin (around 16 portions).

Ingredients

• 175 grams rolled oats - oats are the main ingredient in this wholesome, chewy granola bar recipe.
• 30 grams sunflower seeds - to add add texture.
• 20 grams pumpkin seeds - for texture and also chewiness.
• 20 grams flax seeds - the flax seeds (linseeds) help to bind the mixture when they combine with the wet ingredients.
• 50 grams raisins - raisins add sweetness.
• 30 grams chopped almonds - you can substitute other chopped nuts such as hazelnuts, pistachios, Brazil nuts or pecans.
• 20 grams goji berries - these small red berries add colour and flavour.
• 150 grams natural peanut butter - peanut butter helps to bind the other ingredients together. Use either smooth or crunchy, either homemade peanut butter or store bought.
• 150 grams honey - honey adds natural sweetness to your granola bars and also helps to bind the dry ingredients.

Variations - you can add extra flavours such as ground cinnamon, orange zest, chocolate chips or dried coconut. The possibilities are endless.

To prepare

Weigh the dry ingredients (everything except the peanut butter and honey) into a bowl.

Measure the peanut butter and honey into a container and mix. If either the peanut butter or honey are thick or if the honey has set you may need to heat them gently until they have a runny consistency.

Mix the peanut butter and honey mixture with the dry ingredients. The mixture will be stiff

Pack firmly into a lined tin.

Chill until set and then cut into portions.

To store

• No bake granola bars can be stored in an airtight container for several days.
• These snack bars can also be frozen. Defrost at room temperature and then store in an airtight container.

Tips

• If you add substantially more dry ingredients you will need to increase the amount of honey or peanut butter.
• If your honey or peanut butter are thick, or if the honey has set, heat gently until runny before adding to the dry ingredients.

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